1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to inflation control devices. More particularly, the invention concerns a portable computer-driven apparatus for inflating an object to a desired pressure while accurately measuring the inflation pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
As long as there have been inflatable devices, there has been a need for machines to inflate them. In today's market there are many different inflatable contraptions to inflate sports balls, supplemental restraint systems, air mattresses, automotive shocks, vehicle tires, surgical blankets, balloons, tents, and other inflatable objects. Although the inflation medium is typically air, other substances are sometimes used, with nitrogen being one example.
There are probably more devices for inflating vehicle tires than any other inflatable item, since by sheer numbers, automobile, truck, and bicycle tires are probably the most common inflatable items in existence. Most rudimentary of all these devices is the simple hand or foot operated pump. Coupled with the separate act of hand-checking tire pressure with a manual tire gauge, this seems to provide a complete solution for many. A more advanced approach employs an air compressor machine to avoid the labor of the hand or foot-operated pump. For some people, these traditional approaches are cumbersome and time consuming, however, requiring the user to repeatedly switch back/forth between the acts of inflating and then measuring pressure.
Further advancements have produced machines with various levels of automation. Still, many of these are limited to specific installations on-board commercial trucking or high-end autos. These are out of reach for the typical consumer who already owns a bicycle or passenger car that is neither a commercial truck nor a high-end auto. Furthermore, the up-front expense of an on-board system cannot be shared among multiple vehicles; the on-board equipment only benefits the single vehicle of installation. These and others of the known automated solutions do not always provide the level of convenience, portability, and accuracy that some users might desire.
Since known inflation machines do not fully address these unsolved problems, then, they may not be completely adequate for all users.